Slate Books - ICYMI: AI-Generated Books are Tarnishing Authors’ Reputations

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim are joined by Jane Friedman, author of The Business of Being a Writer and the publisher of Hot Sheet, a newsletter about the publishing industry. The three discuss Friedman’s recent battle with AI-generated books that were being published and sold under her name on Amazon. Friedman published a blog about the saga titled “I Would Rather See My Books Get Pirated Than This (Or: Why Goodreads and Amazon are Becoming Dumpster Fires)” detailing the dangers that the increasingly prolific practice presents to authors and the publishing industry at large.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton.

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Slate Books - A Word: Wrong from the Beginning

The teaching of Black history has been under increasing political attack in recent years. But the version of African American history taught –even to Black people– has always been incomplete. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by columnist Michael Harriot to discuss his new book, Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America. They discuss the inspiration for the book, the most persistent myths of race and racism, and fighting the backlash against Black history.


Guest: Michael Harriot, author of Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America


Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola


You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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Slate Books - Dear Prudence: My Partner’s Relationship With His Ex Makes Me Feel Like the Third Wheel. Help!

In this episode, Tia Williams (bestselling author of The Perfect Find) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to cope with excessive Facebook photos of your partner’s ex, how to mourn a racist in-law’s death, and how to have a cute summer romance in Italy. 

If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. 

Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months. 

Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario, with help from Maura Currie.

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Slate Books - Mom & Dad: Growing Up In Public

On this episode: Zak Rosen, Jamilah Lemieux, and Elizabeth Newcamp talk about parenting digital citizens. 


Elizabeth sits down with author and speaker Dr. Devorah Heitner about her latest book, Growing Up in Public. The book helps guide parents through navigating social media and phone usage for their kids — and the privacy, freedom, and surveillance issues that come along with phones. 


We also go over our week in parenting. And then, for Slate Plus, we’ll debrief on our conversation with Devorah — and how the hosts handle screentime and internet access in their own households.


Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. 


If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work.


Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie.

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New Books in Native American Studies - A Better Way to Buy Books

Bookshop.org is an online book retailer that donates more than 80% of its profits to independent bookstores. Launched in 2020, Bookshop.org has already raised more than $27,000,000. In this interview, Andy Hunter, founder and CEO discusses his journey to creating one of the most revolutionary new organizations in the book world. Bookshop has found a way to retain the convenience of online book shopping while also supporting independent bookstores that are the backbones of many local communities. 

Andy Hunter is CEO and Founder of Bookshop.org. He also co-created Literary Hub.

Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network.

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Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/native-american-studies

Slate Books - Slate Money – Optimal Illusions: The False Promise of Optimization

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Coco Krumme to discuss her book Optimal Illusions: The False Promise of Optimization. 


In the Plus segment: The story in Felix’s newsletter today on why the city of Birmingham in the UK has gone bankrupt.

 

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Slate Books - Political Gabfest: The Last Politician

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer to discuss Joe Biden’s White House and The Last Politician; the war in Ukraine and the possible meeting of Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin; and Americans’ views on the value of higher education. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!

 

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future by Franklin Foer

Seung Min Kim, Stephen Groves, and Farnoush Amiri for AP: “How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt limit deal and staved off a catastrophe

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias: “This was Biden’s core promise …

Jasmine Wright for CNN: “Kamala Harris found her voice on abortion rights in the year after Dobbs. Now she’s making it central to her 2024 message

Imtiaz Tyab for CBS News: “Ukraine counteroffensive makes “notable” progress near Zaporizhzhia, but it’s a grinding stalemate elsewhere

Paul Tough for The New York Times Magazine: “Americans Are Losing Faith in the Value of College. Whose Fault Is That?

Ramesh Ponnuru in The Washington Post: “How to restore intellectual diversity on college campuses 

Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. in The Washington Post: “Could income-share agreements help solve the student debt crisis?

Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber 

Sarah Wood for U.S. News & World Report: “Paying for Meals at College: What to Know About Costs

Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court’s Drive to the Right and Its Historic Consequences by Joan Biskupic 


Here are this week’s chatters: 

Emily: Richard Fausset and Danny Hakim for The New York Times: “Georgia Judge Says Two Defendants in Trump Case Will Get Early Trial Together” and Sam Gringlas for NPR: “In the Trump Georgia case, conflicting legal strategies complicate the path to trial

Frank: The Dan Patrick Show: “Does Messi Make MLS Appear Inferior?”; How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer; Essays on Music by Theodor Adorno; and On Late Style: Music and Literature Against the Grain by Edward W. Said 

David: One Life: Frederick Douglass at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.; Michel Martin for NPR’s All Things Considered: “Picture This: Frederick Douglass Was The Most Photographed Man Of His Time”; and NPR: “’What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?’: Descendants Read Frederick Douglass’ Speech

Listener chatter from Nicole Dorn: Jennifer Senior for The Atlantic: “The Ones We Sent Away” 


For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Frank, Emily, and David discuss the writing of The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future


In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily, David, and John talk with Barbara Kingsolver about her best-selling book, Demon Copperhead

 

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

 

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth 

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Franklin Foer, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz

 

Follow

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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Slate Books - Mom & Dad: The Secret Society of Aunts & Uncles w/ Jake Gyllenhaal, Greta Caruso, and Dan Santat

On this episode: Zak interviews Jake Gyllenhaal, Greta Caruso, and Dan Santat about their new book, The Secret Society of Aunts & Uncles. They dive into what makes that particular relationship so special, why it’s overlooked in children’s literature, and even what goes into crafting a kids book. 


We also go over our week in triumphs and fails. Then, if you’re sticking around for Slate Plus, we share some Instagram accounts that are actually making our lives better.


Zak recommends: 


Elizabeth recommends: 


Jamilah recommends: 


And of course, you can always follow your hosts on Instagram, too:


Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. 


If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work.


Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie.

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Slate Books - Future Tense Fiction: Welcome to the A.I. Haunted House

On this month’s episode of Future Tense Fiction, host Maddie Stone talks to Janelle Shane about her short story “The Skeleton Crew.”

The House of A.I. is a next-level haunted house: In it, a suite of advanced A.I.s read visitors’ facial expressions to generate perfectly tailored scares. Or at least, that’s what the marketing materials want you to believe. It turns out, the house is actually operated by a group of underpaid gig workers, tasked with posing as spooky A.I.s as they guide visitors through the mansion. When two gunmen sneak into the house in search of a famous rock artist who’s there visiting, things go south quickly—and everyone ends up really grateful for the humans behind the house’s spooky machines.

After the story, Maddie and Janelle discuss why the human workers behind A.I. are so often invisibilized—and why you should be suspicious when a company oversells its tech.

Guests: Janelle Shane is a research scientist. She writes about A.I. on her blog, aiweirdness.com, and she’s also the author of You Look Like a Thing and I Love You.

Story read by Kat Bohn

Podcast production by Tiara Darnell

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World Book Club - Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveler’s Wife

American writer and visual artist Audrey Niffenegger talks about her bestselling novel The Time Traveler’s Wife - a magical love story with a twist.

Funny, quirky, and occasionally heartbreaking, this is the story of a relationship lived in the moment – even if those moments are all in the wrong order.

Clare and Henry met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when she was twenty-two and he was thirty. Because Henry is a time traveller. He suffers from a rare genetic condition that means he can be pulled forwards or backwards through time at any moment, without his control.

Against this backdrop, Clare and Henry build a deep and passionate relationship that spans Clare’s whole life and most of Henry’s – all while trying to live a normal life. But unlike most couples, they know how it will end from very early on. Audrey Niffenegger explores the depths of love and trust and inevitable grief and loss through her unusual and moving novel.

(Picture: Audrey Niffenegger. Photo credit: Dennis Hearne, courtesy MacAdam/Cage.)